Suzhou Museum, designed by the late I.M. Pei (West New Pavilion).

Nothing more aesthetically pleasing than black, white walls, blue sky, and I.M. Pei’s magical usage of triangle structure.

Time: Sept, 2025
Place: Suzhou

Summer on the outskirts of Shanghai: Just a day after Typhoon Co-may had us all indoors, everything returned to calm—river views, crab fishing, cloud watching, and planes overhead.

Chongming Island, Shanghai

I.M. Pei’s work speaks for itself:

- The Louvre Pyramid, Paris
- Javits Center, New York
- East Building, National Gallery, D.C.
- Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong

The exhibition "I.M. Pei – Life is Architecture" is currently on view at Shanghai’s PSA, closing on July 27.
#Shanghai, #IMPei

I only learned about the late I.M. Pei in 2019, upon his passing. Reading his obituary, I was drawn by the beauty he created and the mark he left. I was also thrilled to see an Asian succeeding in a creative role and with this much impact.

After a long break, I’m back posting on Instagram—sharing my passion for street photography across Asia. If you love the streets, follow along at @qinchencq

I’m starting with a series from past trips to Hong Kong, with more to come.

Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing, May 3, 2025

A decade ago, going to a music festival in China was mostly about punk, rock & roll, and cathartic pogo. These days, festivals are mellower. And it’s more about going to somewhere new to unwind, kick back, and enjoy good music.

Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing, May 3, 2025

One of the good things about music festivals is that they remind you there’s still room for dreams and longing—even in their commercialized form.

Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing, May 3, 2025
Band: The Landlord's Cats 房东的猫

Strawberry Music Festival in Beijing, May 3, 2025
Singer: Ma Di 马頔

Liang and Lin's exhibition are currently showing in Shanghai's Q-CAN Art Museum till April 18th.

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The Foguang Temple discovery was a game changer — first Tang Dynasty wooden structure ever found in China.

Liang's find shut down Japanese scholars who dismissed China's ancient buildings as just “art subjects” and believed that no Tang Dynasty wooden structures remained.

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In the midst of 1930s war-torn China, Liang and his wife Lin Huiying still hunted down and documented China's most important ancient buildings. One remarkable find was the 1937 discovery of Foguang Temple in Shanxi, built during the Tang Dynasty

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Img: Model of Foguang Temple

Confession: I love ancient Chinese architectures. Always found these steel-free wooden structures elegant, timeless, and fascinating.

In the field of ancient Chinese architecture, Liang Sicheng stands out as a true GOAT.
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Wish everyone a good Year of the Snake! #YearOfTheSnake
Shed the old, embrace the new.

Photo: Adorable snake drawings by readers of Shanghai Library East Hall.

One more nerdy food for thought: If you grew up in China or East Asia, chances are you have probably seen or bought small toys from gachapon (capsule toy machines by Bandai). (6/8)

Before Labubu, Pop Mart had Molly (their first hit character). They’ve since expanded to famous series like Harry Potter, Minions, and The Little Prince. (4/8)

We got a Labubu doing a bird dog pose. Labubu has blown up China and in Southeast Asia, thanks to K-pop star Lisa using it as bag accessory. Pop Mart (the toy maker) opened their first Labubu store in Thailand last July, hitting record sales of RMB 10M ($1.4M) on day one. (2/8)

I recently accompanied a friend to buy a Labubu from a vending machine.
Labubu is a super popular toy character. We were buying a blind box from the Lazy Yoga collection, not knowing which yoga pose our #Labubu would be doing until we unboxed it. (1/8)

👋 Hi Bluesky! I'm Qin (pronounced keen), here to share nerdy observations about China's ever-changing life and society.

Former China reporter, video journalist, now tech content mkter in Shanghai (my hometown), still learning about China even though I grew up here.

Vid: Shanghai, April 2023